---
title: Install and Activate
description: How to install and activate the WPGraphQL plugin
---

import Note from '../../src/components/Note'

<Note type="warning" title="New to WordPress?">
  If you're new to WordPress we recommend getting started by downloading and
  using <a href="https://localbyflywheel.com/">Local By Flywheel</a>
</Note>

## WPGraphQL WordPress Plugin

WPGraphQL is a free, open-source WordPress plugin that turns your WordPress site into a GraphQL API
server.

## Breaking Change Notice

<Note type="warning">
Until WPGraphQL hits a v1.0.0, breaking changes to the Schema and underlying code should be expected.

This **_doesn't_** mean that the plugin is not ready for use in production (it's used in production
on some big sites today), it just means that if you choose to use WPGraphQL, you should pay attention
to [releases](https://github.com/wp-graphql/wp-graphql/releases) in case breaking changes are introduced.

</Note>

<p></p>

Don’t hesitate to start using the plugin, but just be sure to follow along with releases and keep up
to date with conversations in Slack [join here](https://wpgql-slack.herokuapp.com/)

WPGraphQL is already in use in production on several sites, including [work.qz.com](https://work.qz.com), [hopelabs.org](https://hopelabs.org) and more.

## Recommended Version

For the most stable and performant experience, it’s recommended that you use the most recent version
of the plugin. You can see the [latest releases here](https://github.com/wp-graphql/wp-graphql/releases).

Of course, as new features are in development, feel free to check out the latest develop branch or
check out any other feature or release.

### Github - Download / Clone Plugin
WPGraphQL is available on Github: [https://github.com/wp-graphql/wp-graphql](https://github.com/wp-graphql/wp-graphql)

You can download the plugin or clone the plugin from Github.

Add the downloaded/cloned plugin to your WordPress plugin directory. On a typical WordPress install,
this is located at `/wp-content/plugins`.

<Note type="info" title="Install Directory">
  To minimize risk of unintended behavior, it’s best for your plugin directory
  to be "wp-graphql" and not something else, like "wp-graphql-master" or
  "wp-graphql-develop"
</Note>

### Composer
WPGraphQL is also available as a [composer package](https://packagist.org/packages/wp-graphql/wp-graphql) on Packagist.

```bash
composer require wp-graphql/wp-graphql
```

## Activate the Plugin

Once the plugin is in the WordPress plugins directory, it can be activated by clicking “Activate” on
the plugin screen, or via WP CLI `wp plugin activate wp-graphql`

### Verify the Endpoint Works

The most common use of WPGraphQL is as an API endpoint that can be accessed via HTTP requests
(although it can be used without remote HTTP requests as well)

In order for the `/graphql` endpoint to work, **you must have pretty permalinks enabled** and any permalink structure other than the default WordPress permalink structure.

Once the plugin is active, your site should have a `example.com/graphql` endpoint and you the
expected response is a JSON payload like so:

```graphql
{
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "GraphQL Request must include at least one of those two parameters: \"query\" or \"queryId\"",
      "category": "request"
    }
  ]
}
```

## GraphQL Tools and IDEs

One benefit of GraphQL is that it enables [powerful developer tooling](https://github.com/chentsulin/awesome-graphql#tools).

Throughout the documentation, we will use an embedded GraphiQL IDE to showcase how to use GraphQL
against a _live_ WPGraphQL API.

There are many GraphQL IDE tools in the wild, such as:

- [GraphiQL](https://github.com/graphql/graphiql) - A React Component that serves as an in-browser IDE for exploring GraphQL.
- [WPGraphiQL](https://github.com/wp-graphql/wp-graphiql) – GraphQL IDE right in your WordPress dashboard
- [GraphQL Playground](https://github.com/graphcool/graphql-playground) – GraphQL IDE that supports multi-column schema docs, tabs, query history, configuration of HTTP headers and GraphQL Subscriptions.
- [GraphiQL.app](https://github.com/skevy/graphiql-app) – A light, Electron-based wrapper around GraphiQL
- [GraphQL Network](https://github.com/Ghirro/graphql-network) – A chrome dev-tools extension for debugging GraphQL network requests.
- [GraphQL IDE](https://github.com/redound/graphql-ide) – An extensive IDE for exploring GraphQL API’s
- [Altair GraphQL Client](https://github.com/imolorhe/altair) – A beautiful feature-rich GraphQL Client for all platforms
- [Insomnia](https://insomnia.rest/) – An full-featured API client with first-party GraphQL query editor

<Note type="info">
Feel free to use any of the tools mentioned, explore and discover others that aren’t mentioned, or even build your own!

Just note that guides and documentation on this site will reference WPGraphiQL and GraphiQL.app and will also make use of inline instances of the GraphiQL React component to show examples.

</Note>
